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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Anemia Along With Vitamin B12 Deficiency And Low Hemoglobin Level?

I just got my test results from my doctor and am trying to read them. They seem to point to an autoimmune issue. Positive ANA with pattern 1, anemia, b12 deficiency, low hemoglobin and hemocrit, high rdw, thyroid peroxidase over 200, thyroglobulin antibodies. I was told that there are many false positive ANA tests and it showed anemia. However, when I look at all of these things it seems much more than that. I m not panicking, but do feel that these indicate something more insidious than a false positive.
posted on Wed, 22 Mar 2017
Twitter Wed, 24 Oct 2018 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 25 Oct 2018 Last reviewed on
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Neurologist,  's  Response
Hello,

Regarding the positive ANA it is true there are false positives. Also, it may be positive in 5% of the normal population.

So it is significant only when there are other clinical signs of autoimmune disease.

As for anaemia and vitamin B12 deficiency, those could be related to each other.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the most common causes of anaemia as it is vital in the production of red blood cells, so its deficiency may cause what is called megaloblastic anaemia (the name is because differently from other types of anaemia the red blood cells are bigger than normal.

However, before conclusions are drawn more info on B12 values as well as other indicators on the complete blood count are needed.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Take care

Regards,
Dr. Olsi Taka, Neurologist
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What Causes Anemia Along With Vitamin B12 Deficiency And Low Hemoglobin Level?

Hello, Regarding the positive ANA it is true there are false positives. Also, it may be positive in 5% of the normal population. So it is significant only when there are other clinical signs of autoimmune disease. As for anaemia and vitamin B12 deficiency, those could be related to each other. Vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the most common causes of anaemia as it is vital in the production of red blood cells, so its deficiency may cause what is called megaloblastic anaemia (the name is because differently from other types of anaemia the red blood cells are bigger than normal. However, before conclusions are drawn more info on B12 values as well as other indicators on the complete blood count are needed. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Regards, Dr. Olsi Taka, Neurologist